Happy July everyone! What a summer it has been so far, extremely hot and dry weather has had an impact on our area. The rivers are low and clear, and the fire danger is at an all-time high! We need rain badly, and quite a bit of it. Just a reminder to be extra careful while enjoying our area. The Hex hatch got a late start, so we are expecting it to continue for the rest of the week at least. It’s been great so far, a few nights of each week have seen blanket hatches, which can be overwhelming at times, as it seems there’s so many options that fish may not choose your fly. Keep switching until you find the one that works! Mousing has been picking up as well. Smack that thing down and pull some long slow twitches along the grass banks or log jams. Due to the time of year, high temps and low water, streamers, spinners and body baits will work best in the early mornings before the sun peaks or late afternoon into dusk once the sun starts to hide behind the tree line. This is because those times create shadows on the river. They are more comfortable to venture out of the log jams and cut banks when they have a shadow line for cover. Another thing to keep in mind entering July and August is to be extra careful when handling our precious trout. They rely on cool water and may be nosed up into the cold-water creeks that feed their river. They need to return quickly as the stress of being caught, the fight, hot air and handling, take a lot out of them, better to just “keep them wet” There’s something for everyone in our area, and all kinds of fishing techniques to take advantage of. Bass, Pike and Panfishing is great this time of year. Some areas you may want to visit if you’re looking for warm water species include Red Bridge or Blacksmith Bayou accesses on the Big Manistee, the back waters of either Tippy Dam or the Pines. These areas have great slow water pools where giants are hiding.

Looking forward

July and August are exciting times around here! We of course have mousing still, plenty of bug hatches and terrestrials can be a trout’s best friend! Hoppers, ants, beetles etc. start to take off in the coming weeks and it’s incredibly fun to twitch some buggy patterns along the grassy banks and watch the fish smack your fly! This can be an all-day bite as well, since there’s no real “hatch” time for terrestrials. Another thing we look forward to is King Salmon starting to make their way upriver! Look for them to around in good numbers around late July. Fresh fighting summer run Kings are eager to bite and will hit stones flies, woolly buggers, leaches, eggs etc.. Thundersticks, Rapala’s and Hot N Tots are always a go too. Our shop as always has everything you need to make a good day on the water, a great day on the water. Lures, flies, accessories and local knowledge make out shop the place to be. Call with any questions about fishing, more detailed information or questions about our area! Have a fun and safe summer.